Differential clutch



Dec. 30, 1930.- J. T. HUSTVET DIFFERENTIAL. CLUTCH Filed Dec. 19, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l El Whoa e]: WHWZ VEZ Q Dec. 30, 1930. J; T, HUSTVET DIFFERENTIAL CLUTCH Filed Dec. 19, 1929 3 Shets$heet 3 1 willrotate and the Patented Dec. 30, 1930 31003 1'. BUS'IVI'I, OI LARSON, WISOONBIN' nus-mm cnurcn.

Application fled December 19, 1989. Serial Io. 415,874.

This invention relates to differentials and more particularly to a differential of the type used in automobile construction.

When an automobile is travelin over roads or streetswhich have becomes ippery due to ice or mud, it often occurs that one wheel of the automobile will strike a slippery place and turn without the tire gripping the roadway. When this occurs, the automobile is liable to skid. It has also been found that very often when an automobile is parked with one wheel restin muddy spot it is very dlflicult and some tlmes impossible to start the automobile. This is due to the fact that one wheel turns freely whereas the other rests firmly upon the ground and since the difierential allows the,

wheels to turn independently of each other the wheel resting. upon the slippery-place other wheel remain stationary.

Therefore, one object of the invention is to provide a difierential with a clutch by means of which a gear which is normally allowed to turn freely in the gear casing of the differential may be locked to the gear casing and thereby cause the two sections of a rear axle to rotatetogether. By this arrangement the two wheels of the automobile may be caused to turn at the same rate of speed and skidding prevented and also an automobile allowed to start easy even if one .of the wheels is resting upon a slippery place,

Another object of the invention is to provide the diilerential with a clutch which will normally remain inactive but may be ver easily moved into position to lock the free gear of the diiferential to the casing.

Another object of the invention is to so construct and mount the clutch that it may be easily actuated from the drivers seat and thereby allow the driver of the automobile to move the clutch to an operative position when necessary without leaving the drivers seat.

Another object of the invention is to provide the difierential with a clutch which is stron anddurable and not liable to get out of or er.

upon a slippery or.

I when the drive shaft 10 lea The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein igure 1 is a view showin a difierential housing having the improve clutch applied thereto,the view being partially in elevation and partially in section.

a toIp plan view of the differential Fi 3 is a ongitudinal sectional view of the fierential Fig; 4is a new showing a portion of the clutc in elevation,

Fig. 5 is a view looking at the outer face I of a side portion of the gear casing with which the clutch is associated, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the 'gear with which the clutch engages.

The diflerential, which is shown in F igures 1, 2 and 3, includes a housing 1 formed of separable sections 2'and 3 having marginal flanges .4 through which bolts or equivalent fasteners 5 are passed to securel but releasably retain the sections unite Opposed sleeves 6 are provided at the centers of the housing fitted t e inner ends of axle casings 7 through which pass axle sections or shafts 8 which project into the housing and are rotatably mounted by roller bearin s 9. The drive shaft 10 is surrounded by. t% having one end formed with a collar 12 secured to the housing sections 2 and 3 byb'olts 13 and this shaft 10 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 14 formed by contacting portions of the housing sections and at its inner end carries the usual pinion 15. Gears 16 and 17 are fixed upon the inner ends of theaxle sections ordriven shafts 8 to rotate with the same and the gears are enclosed by a casing 18 consistin of companion side sections 19 and 20 whic fit about the hubs of the gears and are secured together by a suitable number of bolts 21 spaced from each other circumferentially ofthe casing. About the casing section 19 is secured a ear ring 23, the teeth of which mesh with t e inion 15 so that ding from the motor of the automobile is rotated rotary motion will be imparted to the gear casing and the gear 16. A pinion 24 which has its hub rotatably mounted between contacting porsections and into these sleeves are e usual casing 11 a tions of the casing sections, as shown in Figure 3, is disposed in the casin radially thereof between the gears 16 an 17 and meshes with these gears. Therefore, when the gear casing is rotated the gear 17 may turn with the gear 16 or the pinion may rotate with the gear 16 and move about the gear 17 and allow the shaft or axlesection carrying the gear 16 to rotate independently of t e shaft or axle section carrying the gear 17 or at a difierent rate of speed. It W1 1 thus be seen that the differential may function in the usual manner and allow the wheels of an automobile to rotate at different speeds from each other when the automobile is turning.

As previously explained, it is desired to permit the gear 17 to be locked to the casing section 18 so that the two wheels of an automobile may be caused to rotate at the same rate of speed and thereby allow an automobile to be easil started if one wheel is restin upon a mu dy or slip ry place and also alfim the two wheels of t e automobile to be caused to rotate at the same rate of speed if a sli pery place is encountered upon a road and prevent the automobile from skidding. In order to do so, there has been provided a clutch consisting of a metal disk which fits loosely about the inner portion of the sleeve 6 of the housing section 3. Arms 26 which are spaced from each other circumferentially of the disk extend from its inner face and these arms pass through openings 27 formed throu h the casing section 20. and at their free en s are formed with teeth 28 disposed radially of the gear 17 and adapted to engage between teeth 29 formed in the outer ace of the ar 17 and extending radial- 1 thereof, as s own in Figures 3 and 6.

en the clutch is in the inoperative osition shown in Figure 3, the gear 17 -wi 1 be free from the gear casing and the differential may function in its usual manner but when the clutch is slid longitudinally of the axle section and the teeth u on its arms enga e between the clutch teet 29 of the gear 1 this ear will be locked to the gear casing and t e two axle sections will rotate at the same rate of speed.- 1

In order to normally retain the clutch in an inoperative position and allow it to be moved to an operative sition when necessary, there has been provi ed actuating means which is carried by the housing section 3. This actuatingl means which -is adapted to be actuated by t e driver of the automobile, includes a yoke 30 which is disposed in a pocket 31 extending outwardly and radially of the housing section 3 at one side of the sleeve 6 and the arms ofthis yoke extend circumferentially of the clutch and at their ends are provided with pins 32 loosely received in openings 33 formed near the ends of a semi-circular strip or collar 34. This strip or collar fits into a groove 35 formed in the edge face of the clutch disk and extending circumferentially about the same and, therefore, the clutch may rotate with the gear casing and at the same time may be shifted from the inoperative position shown in Fi ure 3 to an o erative position by movement 0 the yoke. he shank 36 of the yoke extends into a socket 37 formed at the outer side of the pocket 31 and this shank is formed with a bore-38 which is rectangular in cross section, as shown in Fi ure 3, and receives the squared portion 39 o a shaft or stem 40 which has its upper and lower portions circular in cross section so that it may be rotatably mounted, as shown in Figure 1. The upper end portion of the stem 40 projects outwardly and is formed with a squared por-' tion-41 upon which is fitted a lever 42 and its extreme upper end is threaded to receive a securing nut 43 serving to hold the lever in place u on the stem. Another lever 44 fits upon t e stem 40' and is secured. at right angles to the lever 42 by a set screw 44.. This lever 44 is engaged by a spring 45 anchored to a screw eye 46 carried by the housing section 3 and the spring by exerting pull upon the lever 44. causes the yoke 36 to be normally held in the position shown in Fi ure 3 and yieldably retain the clutch in its inoperative osition. The lever 42 extends longitudinaly of the rear axle or driven shaft and at its free end is enga ed by a rod 47 which may be of any lengt1 esired and extends towards the front of the automobile. This rod47 may be connected with a treadle or equivalent operating element so that by placing hisfoot upon the. treadle or grasping a hand lever and moving the same the operator of the automobile may shift the clutch to its operative position when necessary and lock the gear 17 to the gear casing and cause the two wheels to rotate at the same rate of speed.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a differential, a housing, a gear casing rotatable in said housing, shafts rotatably mounted in opposed side walls of said housing and extending into said casing, gears fixed upon said shafts within said casing, a pinion rotatably mounted in said casing and meshing with said gears, a clutch rotatably mounted in said housing and having arms extendlng through an adjacent side wall of said casing to effect rotation of the clutch with the casin the said arms each having teeth at its ree end disposed ra-' diall'y of the gears and the outer side face of the ad acent gear bein formed with clutch teeth extending radial y thereof throughout its circumference, and means to move said clutch towards said casin for interlocking engagement with v the c utch teeth of said gear and cause the two shafts to rotate in unison.

2. In a differential, a housing, a gear casin rotatable in said housin shafts rotatabl y mounted in o posed si e walls of said housing and exten g into said casing, gears fixed upon said shafts within said casing, a pinion rotatably mounted in said casing and meshing with said gears, a clutch rotatably mounted in said housin and having arms extending through an a jacent side wall of said casing to effect rotation of the clutch with the casing, the said arms each having teeth at its free end and the outer side face of the adjacent gear being formed with clutch teeth extending radiall thereof throughout its circumference, a o e pivotally' mounted in said housing and aving arms straddling said clutch and connected therewith to slide the clutch towards and away from said casing when the yoke is swung about its pivot, an means operable externally of said housing to move said yoke and shift the clutch towards the casing for interlocking engagement with the gear.

3. In a differential, a housing, a gear casing rotatable in said housing, shafts rotatably mounted in opposed side walls of said housing and extending into said casing, gears fixed upon said shafts within said casing, a pinion rotatably mounted in said casing and meshing with said gears, a clutch rotatably mounted in said housing and having portions extending through an adjacent side wall of said casing to effect rotation of the clutch with the casin the said ortions having teeth at their ree ends an the outer side as face of the adjacent gear having clutch teeth extending radially thereof, a circumferentially extending groove being formed in said clutch, a saddle loosely engaged in said groove, a stem rotatably carried by said housin with one end projecting externally thereo a portion of the shaft within the housing being enlarged and non-circular in cross section, a bushing threaded into said housing about the stem and bearing against 46 the non-circular portion thereof to retain the stem in place, a yoke in said housing fitting upon the non-circular portion of said stem to move with the stem and having a'rmsextending circumferentially of the clutch in 50 straddling relation thereto and pivoted to said saddle, a lever fixed upon the outer end of said stem and when moved in one direction rotating the stem to swing the yoke towards said gear casing and shift the clutch to an operative position for clutching engagement with the loose gear, a second lever carried b said stem and resilient means engaged with the second lever to normally retain the clutch in an inoperative position. 00 In testimon whereof I afiix my signature.

JA OB T. HUSTVET. [La] 

